BLG · Notebook
Back to the Hustle
A January journey from Karimganj to Chandigarh, with a few quiet hours in Kolkata and the Himalayas waiting near the end.
January 10 began with the drive from Karimganj to Silchar Airport. It was time to leave home again and return to Chandigarh—to familiar schedules, unfinished work, and the usual rush waiting on the other side.
The road was still quiet in the early morning. There was not much to mark the beginning of the journey, apart from a curious number plate spotted along the way.
At the airport, the first view of the aircraft came through the terminal windows. VT-IJW was waiting on the apron for the short flight to Kolkata. Ground vehicles moved around it, passengers gathered near the gate, and the morning slowly settled into the familiar rhythm of departure.
The flight itself was ordinary and uneventful. Silchar disappeared below, Kolkata arrived soon after, and a layover of roughly three hours opened up between the two sectors.
There was enough time to leave the airport for Potboiler Coffee House. The stop included a multigrain bagel sandwich, avocado toast and a good cappuccino—the coffee somehow missed the camera. It was a brief but lovely pause in the middle of the journey, made better by the company and the chance to sit somewhere that did not feel like an airport waiting area.
Soon it was time to head back for the final flight to Chandigarh. By late afternoon, the light outside had softened and the long day of moving between roads, terminals and aircraft was beginning to wind down.
Then the Himalayas appeared outside the window.
The view was unusually clear. Layer after layer of snow-covered peaks stretched along the horizon, crisp against the fading blue of the sky. It lasted only for a part of the flight, but it became the image that stayed with the day.
By evening, the journey from home was almost complete. A morning road, two flights, a quiet stop in Kolkata and one final view from the window before returning to the usual routine.
Back to Chandigarh. Back to the hustle.